Losing Game 1 to the CTBC Brothers 10-4 in the Taiwan Series opener on Saturday was a tough blow for the Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions, but the potential loss of Gu Lin Ruei-yang for the game and the series might have been even worse.
In a rematch of the 2021 Taiwan Series, the fireballer was pulled at the beginning of the fourth inning due to back tightness, after tossing three scoreless innings before a sellout crowd in the 40,000-seat Taipei Dome.
Gu Lin felt tightness early in the game, with signs appearing as early as the second inning when he walked Tseng Song-en, Uni-Lions manager Lin Yueh-ping said after the game.
Photo: CNA
“He is [being checked] in the hospital now. We will re-evaluate his condition when he comes to the field tomorrow, but we have to extend the series first to give him a chance [to take the mound again],” Lin added.
Gu Lin, 24, led the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) with a 1.66 ERA over 21 starts. His 10 wins made him the only Taiwanese player among the 10 starting pitchers in the CPBL with double-digit wins.
Prior to Game 1, much attention had been paid to Gu Lin, who is widely expected to sign a contract after this season with an overseas franchise in the US or Japan.
Gu Lin’s early exit with the Uni-Lions leading 3-0 proved decisive, as the Brothers scored at least one run in the next three innings, including seven runs in the sixth inning that gave them an insurmountable lead.
In contrast, Brothers starting pitcher Jose de Paula rebounded from a disastrous first inning, in which he gave up three runs on three hits and a walk. The Dominican lefty shut out the Uni-Lions over the next six innings to be named the game’s most valuable player.
“The first inning was a bit chaotic, but I didn’t give up and always told myself to keep going,” De Paula said via an interpreter.
It was the Brothers’ ninth straight victory over the Uni-Lions in the Taiwan Series. The opening game win in the best-of-seven series also gave the team a 77.8 percent chance to capture this year’s title, said Blue Wei, an anchor for ELTA TV.
The next two games being played in the Taipei Dome would also help the Brothers, if past performance holds true.
While the Brothers played the league’s most games there with a league-leading .679 winning percentage, the Uni-Lions have played in the indoor baseball stadium only six times and recorded the league’s lowest winning rate there.
In its five games against the Brothers at the dome, the Uni-Lions lost four times.
Nineteen wickets fell yesterday on an opening day of carnage in the first Ashes Test, with England’s attack led by skipper Ben Stokes bowling them into a position of strength after Australia dismissed the tourists for 172. A rampaging Mitchell Starc took 7-58 to put England on the back foot after Stokes won the toss on a fine day at a packed Perth Stadium and chose to bat. Harry Brook (52) and Ollie Pope (46) offered the only resistance as they crumbled after lunch, but England’s elite fast bowlers, led by an exceptional Stokes with 5-23, fought back to reduce the hosts
France’s Kevin Aymoz snatched the men’s title at Skate America on Saturday, winning his first grand prix title with a battling free skate, while short program leader Kazuki Tomono faltered. It was an emotional triumph for Aymoz, who made his grand prix level debut in 2017, with seven prior podium finishes, but no gold. He had struggled with a painful foot injury since a disappointing 10th-place finish at Skate Canada last month. “It was so difficult,” the 28-year-old said. “After Skate Canada I wanted to give up so much and today I’m here and it’s so beautiful to be with my friends competing
Nigeria’s soccer coach has accused the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) of practicing “voodoo” after his squad’s hopes of qualifying for next year’s FIFA World Cup ended in a penalty shoot-out loss in the African playoff final. DR Congo and Nigeria drew 1-1 after extra-time in the tie in Rabat, Morocco, on Sunday and the central Africans won 4-3 on penalties to book a place in inter-confederation playoffs in Mexico in March next year. In his post-match remarks to journalists, coach Eric Chelle said a member of the DR Congo team “did some voodoo, every time, every time, every time.” “That
Australian cyclist Paige Greco, a Paralympic gold medalist, has died. She was 28. A joint statement by the Australian Paralympic Committee and Cycling Australia said that Greco “passed away in her Adelaide home after experiencing a sudden medical episode” on Sunday. “Paige meant everything to us,” her mother Natalie Greco said. “Her kindness, her determination and her warmth touched our family every single day. She brought so much joy and pride into our lives, and the pain of her passing is something we will carry forever, “ Natalie Greco said. “While we are devastated by her loss, we are incredibly proud of the person she
RSS